Envelope counter



1965 J. M. CICCONE I 3,199,420

ENVELOPE COUNTER Filed April 18, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. L/A 0c02 (Vera/vs ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1965 J. M. CICCONE 3,199,420

ENVELOPE COUNTER Filed April 18, 1965 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'Tlciju-BY7-M$M ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,199,426} ENVELOPE (COUNTER JackM. fiiccone, Westbury, N.Y., assignor to F. L. Smithe Machine Co., Inc,New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 18, 1963, Ser. No.273,945 1 Claim. (CI. 9393) This invention relates, in general, toenvelope making machines, and in particular to an improved system forautomatically segregating a group of stacked envelopes into packs ofpredetermined number.

The present invention provides a means for accurately and automaticallydetermining a preselected number of envelopes and distinguishing eachgroup of such envelopes from the other. This invention is an improvementover previous systems, such as is illustrated in co-pending applicationSerial No. 103,473, filed April 17, 1961. In that application a devicefor stacking finished envelopes in stacks of precise and predeterminednumber and banding each stack is provided. In the aforesaid applicationthe banding mechanism is laterally offset from the line of envelopedelivery coming from the preceding folding machine. In the device ofthat application a stack of envelopes of predetermined number is removedperiodically from the direct feed line of the envelope machine andshifted laterally to an adjacent device which automatically bands eachsegregated pack of envelopes.

In the present invention lateral movement and subsequent banding is notdesired. Rather, it is desired to feed a stack of envelopes in a directline as in the prior art, and at the same time segregate the stackedenvelopes in groups of predetermined number. Thu-s, a system is hereinprovided for so determining a preselected number and segregating eachsuch number of envelopes from the other.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedenvelope stacking machanism.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an envelopestacking device which automatically segregates the stacked envelopesinto packs of predetermined number.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system for countingenvelopes as they are delivered by an envelope machine and cit-settingselected envelopes at predetermined intervals.

Another object is to provide an improved envelope delivery mechanismwhich facilitates the subsequent manual banding of envelopes into packsof predetermined number.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved envelopedelivery mechanism which facilitates the accurate counting of theenvelopes as they are placed into a shipping container by the machineoperator.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention arepointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of theinvention,its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated and described a preferredembodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the present invent-ion witha portion of the prior art in schematic form;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the detecting and actuating device and aportion of the envelope stacking mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1,

there is shown .aportion of an envelope stacking mechanism 1t), whereinenvelopes 12 are carried by conveyor 14 from an envelope formingmechanism (not shown) t the envelope stacking mechanism.

In FIG. .1, there are shown schematically, laterally offset from theenvelope stacking machine, selected portions of the banding mechanism ofapplicants co-pending application Serial No. 103,473, mentionedhereinabove. In that application, mechanism partially illustrated at 16,removes preselected numbers of envelopes from the en velope stackingstation and moves them, as a unit, laterally to an offset position. Feedcams 18, knife roller 26 and applicator arm 22 cooperate to move awrapping band (not shown) and apply a spot of glue thereto atpredetermined intervals. Knife 26 serves to severe the band atpredetermined intervals. Pushers 28 serve to move the laterallytransposed pack of envelopes and the severed band between the opposedband folding arms 39 and 32. A filler plate 33 allows for conversion ofthe stacking machine from the offset feed system to an inline deliverysystem as contemplated by the present invention.

In lieu of offsetting stacks of envelopes as in the device ofapplication Serial No. 103,473, the present invention contemplatesinline movement of the envelopes to the termination of the envelopestacking machine.

As in the prior art devices of this type, the envelopes 12 are fedbetween conveyor belts 14 and 14', which sandwich the envelopestherebetween to hold them securely in place, to the vicinity of alignedslotted stacker wheels 34, 36 and 38. Each slotted wheel includes aplurality of spirally extending fingers 40 which form slots in theperiphery of the wheels. The slotted wheels 34, 36 and 38 are mounted ona shaft 42, which is rotated in precise timed relationship to themechanism of the envelope forming machine. Drive chain operativelyconnects shaft 42 with shaft 43, and drive chain 47, which also engagesshaft 42, is connected to a drive mechanism (not shown). As eachenvelope is moved forward by the conveyor the envelope is slipped into aparallel set of slots formed by the extending fingers 40. After theenvelope enters a slot, it is carried around on the wheels until theseal flap edge of the envelope strikes delivery table 44-. Tabs 35, 37,39 and 41 extend to Within the radius of wheels 34, 36 and 38 to enablethe table to receive the envelopes. Thus, it will be understood that asthe slotted wheels rotate against the table 44, they bring the envelope12 to a vertical position with its seal fiap edge downwardly on thedelivery table over which the now vertically stacked envelopes are movedto the succeeding section of the stacking apparatus (not shown).

A radiant energy source 46, connected to a suitable power supply 48 ispositioned just beneath the horizontal plane of envelopes 12 and alignedwith a conventional detector and counter 50, whereby the detector iscapable of sensing a beam of energy 51 transmitted by said energy source46. Energy source 46 is suitably secured to supporting element 53.Conveyor belts 14 and 14' each include two sections spaced apart fromeach other, thereby providing an uninterrupted path for the beam ofenergy in the space between each envelope, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4.Detector is also electrically connected to power source 42$. Supportingelement 52 provides a foundation for the positioning and attachmentthereto of detector 50.

As can'be seen more clearly in FIG. 2, a solenoid 54 affixed tosupporting element 52 includes a solenoid arm 56 r-otatably attached toone end of yoke 58. Yoke 58, in turn, is rotatably mounted upon fulcrum60 which is also secured to supporting element 52. The other end of yoke58 is securely affixed to offset arm 62, A U-shaped bracket 64 isaffixed to supporting element 52 and provides a support and guide foroffset arm 62. A coil spring 66 affixed by one of its ends to arm 62abuts one anasaao end of U-shaped bracket 64 in such a manner as to tendto bias oifset arm 62 outwardly from the line of envelopes 12. To theend or" offset arm 62 there is affixed offset bar 63, which is alignedparallel to the line of envelopes 12- Thus, when oifset bar 68 is movedinwardly toward the line of envelopes 12, the offset bar 68 will engageany envelope in the position shown (FIG. 2), spaced apart from andparallel with bar 68, after the envelope has left the control ofconveyor belts 14 and 14'. The offset bar will then move the envelope tothe position indicated by the dotted lines FIG. 2), against check bar'74? just as the envelope enters the slots formed by fingers 44 Checkbar 70 is alfixed to support element 72, which in turn is secured tosupporting element 53.

it should be noted that a solely mechanical type of detector and countermay be employed in lieu of the electronic means embodied herein.

Turning now to the operation of the system enco passed by the presentinvention, as each envelope 12 cuts a beam of energy 51, theinterruption is sensed by detector 5h. After a predetermined number ofinterruptions by the passing envelopes has been sensed, detector 56 willtrigger a signal which is transmitted to solenoid 54. Solenoid 54 isthereupon actuated by the signal to thereby pivot yoke 58 on fulcrum 60in the direction indicated by the appropriate arrow. Thus it can beunderstood that the subsequent motion of offset bar 68 will push anenvelope positioned adjacent plunger 68 in the direction of check bar70. The envelope is then moved along in the conventional manner asdescribed hereinabove by the slotted wheels and fingers 40 to a verticalposition on table 44. However, the selected envelope engaged by oflsetbar 68 is now spaced outwardly from the normal line of envelopes toindicate to an operator that there is a predetermined number ofenvelopes between each of the offset outwardly extending envelopes.

It should be understood that the detector 50 is of the type that may beadjusted by means (not shown) to actuate solenoid 54 thereby providingfor the segregation of any predetermined number of envelopes requiredfor grouping by the operator.

Thus it will be seen that the present invention provides a system forgrouping a predetermined number of envelopes and setting them off sothat the operator may be able to segregate each of such groups ofenvelopes for subsequent manual banding thereof into packs of envelopesof predetermined number, or to facilitate the accurate counting of theenvelopes as they are placed in a shipping container by the machineoperator. The system anticipated by the present invention is fullyautomated and does not require the attention of an operator once thedetector has been set for sensing the desired number of envelopes.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed in detail to illustrate the application of the inventionprinciples, it will be understood that the invention may be embodiedotherwise without departing from such principles.

What I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appendedclaim:

A counting, stacking and delivery mechanism for envelope-making machinescomprising, conveyor means for delivering formed envelopes in flat,aligned spaced-apart relationship to rotary means for edge-stacking theenvelopes, said rotary means including a pair of slotted positioningwheels adapted to receive the lea-ding edge of envelopes from saidconveyor means, means for counting individual envelopes as they are fedto said rotary means and for indicating the passage thereby of apredetermined number of envelopes, means responsive to said countingmeans for periodically transversely offsetting an envelope in theslotted area of said rotary means from the remainder of envelopespreviously fed to said rotary means, and a substantially horizontaltable in substantial alignment with said conveyor means and havingprojecting tabs extending within said slotted area of said rotary meansfor receiving the envelopes for edge-stackin g thereon, whereby thestacked envelopes upon said table are segregated into readilyidentifiable groups of envelopes of desired predetermined number, saidlast means including a spring-biased plunger on one side of said rotarymeans'and stop means on the other side of said rotary means to limit theamount of transverse otfset imparted to an otfset envelope.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,681,162 8/28Andersen 93-93.2 2,364,324 '12/44 Staude 9393.2 2,424,093 7/47 Harred9393.3 2,551,685 5/51 McAleer et al. 93-932 2,697,388 12/54 Hansen etal. 93-93.3

FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

